Fox News radio commentator Todd Starnes observes in his new book God
Less America that those in "the militant gay rights community . . . not
only expect you to accept their lifestyle, but they also want you to
affirm it. They want your children exposed to it in their public school
classrooms. They want private business owners to endorse their
court-sanctioned 'marriages.' And woe be to any person who dares object"
(2014, p. 64).

In 2007 a Massachusetts federal
judge ruled that the gay agenda must be taught in public school,
“ordering that it is reasonable, indeed there is an obligation, for
public schools to teach young children to accept and endorse
homosexuality” (Bob Unruh, “Judge Orders 'Gay' Agenda Taught to
Christian Children,” WND.com, Feb. 24, 2007).
And it's happening: “An elementary school in Oakland, California,
topped off its school year with a 'Pride Day' celebrating all types of
families, including those in which the parents consider themselves to be
lesbian, 'gay' bisexual, transgender or queer,” complete with
indoctrinating lectures, videos and a sing-along (Leo Hohmann, “5-Year
Olds Taught to Celebrate 'Queer Pride,” WND, June 16, 2014).
Again, it's not only in America. LifeSiteNews reports on Scotland:
“While Scottish government draft guidelines currently allow teachers
with moral objections to opt-out of certain aspects of the country's new
sex-ed curriculum [such as teaching about gay marriage], several
National Health Service boards have objected to the opt-out clause. They
are also objecting to provisions allowing parents to opt their children
out of the classes …
“Another NHS board warned against allowing parents too much influence over children,
saying that the decision about whether to attend the classes should be
left up to the students, even if their parents object” (Hilary White,
“Teachers Cannot Opt Out of Teaching Gay 'Marriage' in School Sex-Ed
Classes: Scottish NHS,” May 15, 2014, emphasis added throughout).
It's truly disturbing to read a recent report from the pro-family organization MassResistance titled “'GLBT'
Teachers Conference in Boston Reveals Latest Plans to Push
Homosexuality Even Further Into Schools. Well Organized, Fueled With
Taxpayer Dollars” (May 13, 2014).
The report states: “GLSEN (Gay Lesbian and
Straight Education Network) is the nation's largest homosexual and
transgender activist organization working inside schools in all 50
states. It has set up 'gay straight alliance' student clubs (GSAs) inside thousands of high schools (and even some middle schools) across the country.
“GLSEN pushes a wide range of
psychologically penetrating homosexual and transgender programs and
activities into the schools … It also directly organizes and trains
teachers to integrate their techniques throughout the curriculum …
“In 2000, the Boston-area GLSEN Conference
gained national outrage when MassResistance (then known as Parents'
Rights Coalition) exposed the sickening … workshop which involved adults teaching young kids explicit sex acts.”
In this workshop students as young as 12 were given graphic instruction in homosexual sex acts by state employees. The Massachusetts Legislature, along with several U.S. corporations, continues to support the organization.
Some of the 2014 conference workshops for training teachers,
administrators and activist students included how to start a
“gay-straight alliance” in middle schools (for students aged 10-14!) and
“Queering the Classroom” to provide “a safe environment for GLBTQ youth” and “a more comfortable, creative environment for all students.”
For those concerned about their children, it's highly disturbing to
see a picture of a sign behind conference speakers that proudly
proclaims, “GLSEN: Making a Difference in K-12 Schools.”
No doubt this has had an effect—along with all the other forces
pushing young people to accept and embrace homosexuality. “As evidence
of a major cultural shift … [one family advocate] pointed to a recent
poll by the Pew Research Center indicating a full 70 percent of
Millennials (born in 1981 or later) support same-sex marriage.
“By contrast, 49 percent of those in Generation X [born between the
early 1960s and 1980], 38 percent of Baby Boomers [born between 1946 and
the early 1960s] and just 21 percent from the Silent Generation [born
between late 1920s and 1945] support homosexual marriage” (Chelsea
Schilling, “Claim: Christians Sin By Putting Kids in Public School,” WND, May 17, 2014).
In the Fort Worth, Texas, area, when discussion in a ninth-grade
German class shifted to religion and homosexuality, as it often did,
14-year-old Dakota Ary turned to a friend and said “that he was a
Christian and that 'being a homosexual is wrong' … [whereupon] Dakota
was sentenced to one day of in-school suspension and two days of full
suspension” (Starnes, p. 122).
This was in a classroom where the teacher's “world wall” had a
picture of two men kissing that offended some students. “He told the
students this is happening all over the world and you need to accept the
fact that homosexuality is just part of our culture now,” said Liberty
Counsel attorney Matt Krause (Starnes, p. 123).
The superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools sought to
evict a Baptist church renting space in one of their buildings because
the congregation opposed homosexuality, stating that renting to those
who hold such views “appears to be contrary to school board policy as well as the basic principles of humanity” and calling the eviction a “rejection of prejudice and intolerance” (quoted by Starnes, p. 81).
Students across Massachusetts were warned by a Department of
Education directive to affirm transgender classmates. “And if little
girls took issue with sharing a bathroom with a transgender boy [a boy
claiming to be a girl], the state said those little girls could be
punished” (p. 119).

Tom is an elder in the United Church of God who works from his home
near St. Louis, Missouri, as a senior writer and editor for the Good News magazine and church booklets. He is also the editor of the UCG Bible Commentary. He also served as a copy editor for Vertical Thought and managing editor for World News and Prophecy .